What is IAREP?

Founded in 1982, the International Association for Research in Economic Psychology (IAREP) is the natural meeting point for all those interested in the areas where psychology and economics intersect. It has a wide international membership, drawn from psychologists and economists, but also from specialists in business administration, marketing and consumer behaviour.

The interests of IAREP are broad. A few of our members would describe themselves as "economic psychologists", and work in departments or institutes of economic psychology. The majority, however, are simply experts in one discipline who recognize that neighbouring disciplines have something important to contribute to the areas they are interested in. We welcome anyone who takes this kind of open-minded approach to research. Economic psychology is concerned both with the psychological mechanisms through which economic behaviour comes about, and with the psychological effects of economic events.

The Activities of IAREP include:

• Annual Colloquium: This is usually held somewhere in Europe and gives an opportunity for informal contact as well as more formal presentations. This is the most important meeting point for anyone interested in interdisciplinary work between psychology and economics.
• Sponsoring the Journal of Economic Psychology. The Association founded the journal, elects the Editor, and supports the activity of the Editors and publishers in many ways. Members of IAREP are entitled to a concessionary rate for personal subscriptions to the journal.
• Publishing a regular Newsletter giving news about activities in economic psychology and related fields.
• Supporting graduate Summer Schools in economic psychology.
• Supporting Workshops on special topics in economic psychology.

Perhaps the most important way IAREP works, however, is as an informal network of friends and colleagues, which successfully crosses national and disciplinary frontiers. Many joint research projects have been launched through discussions held at IAREP meetings, and many research publications have originated in the cross-fertilisation of ideas that occurs when people of different backgrounds meet and discuss common problems with an open mind.